Expert: Kaza - 1/1/2008

Question
Hi - our Bichon, Molly is 2 years old, and increasingly seems to be getting light brown/apricot patching on her coat.  She gets bathed once a week and is in very good health.  What causes this, is it a fault?
Many thanks
Fiona


Answer
Is this actually on the coat or is it on the skin, many breeders desire good skin markings they will be dark and look like piebald markings.
If its the coat, then its genetic , as a general rule they will appear up to the age of two , however sometimes they can appear right up until the dog is 5 years of age, 10% is an acceptable level even for some shows, many breeders will cover the coat with white powder and cornstarch, naughty but unless a judge comments then !!!
Buy a good quality white shampoo, that has a blueing agent within, dezynadog do a good range .
This does no harm by the way and you are not responsible, what you may notice at some stage is her nose getting a lighter shade, try sea-kelp in the first two weeks to ensure its not thyroid related, if no improvement then its just genetic. In winter its called snow nose, simply give her more access to sunlight, will do the trick to resolve this.
If you wanna post me a pic of her then log into my bichon site
www.eurobichons.com
I will take a further look and set your mind at ease should you need me too.